Apparatus for mining



Nov. 27, 1945. B MAVOR 2,389,920

APPARATUS FOR MINING Filed July 18, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /2 Egal 33 29 mm \\\\m\mwm@ @A if;

26 28' mms w Nov. 27, 1945. J. B. MAvoR 2,389,920

APPARATUS' FOR MINING Filed July 18, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. '27, 1945 APPARATUS FOB MINING John Bridle Mavor, Glasgow, Scotland, assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Franklin, Pa.

Application July 18, 1944, Serial No. 545,431

In Great Britain March 18, 1943 (C1. zee-'si 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a long wall mining machine adapted to sever coal from the seam by direct thrust along the long wall of the seam, such thrust operating with achiseling or a splitting action. More particularly the invention relates to a splitting head for such a. machine.

In certain seams of coal it is diilicult to maintain the proper line of cutting along the face of the seam. For instance, the internal structure of the coal may cause the splitting head to have a tendency, when thrust into the coal, to be deflected from the proper line which generally is parallel with the coal face.

An object of the present invention is to provide a splitting head so constructed as to counter such tendency t0 deflection, and thus to provide means for adjusting and controlling the line of cutting.

i second important object of the invention is to provide a cutting blade, carried by the head, movable in the head in a direction oblique to the normal line of shearing, the adjustment being such that the cutting blade may coincide with that line, project laterally across the line, or be withdrawn from said line.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved shearing head, the view being partly in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the cutting blade withdrawn from` the normal line of operation; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the cutting blade projecting over the normal line of operation; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line V-V of Fig. 4.

In the embodiment of the invention as here. in shown there is a cutting head In having a face II adapted to rest against the long wall or face of a. seam I2. The head is tapered so that its opposite side I3 is substantially at an acute angle to the face il at its forward part, although rearwardly of this acute angle portion the head is curved outwardly as at I4 so that material passing over the face I3 will be moved laterally upon contact with the face portion I4. The purpose of this is to deliver the sheared ofi coal away from the face of the seam t2. In the face portion I3 of the head there is formed a. slot having parallel upper and lower walls I5 (Figs. 2 and 5) connected by diverging walls I6 to the inner wall I1 which is parallel to the face I3. In this dove-tail slot is fitted a chisellike cutter or tip indicated in general at I8 in Fig. 1. This cutter is shaped to fit in the slot so that it can slide horizontally therein. The rear end I9 of the slot is enlarged slightly, and behind it the head is provided with a recess 2| separated from the slot by a rib 20. This rib is provided with a bearing opening 22 wherein is journaled the cylindrical portion 23 of a screw 24. A polygonal head 26 is rigidly mounted on the rear end of the screw so that it can be turned, and the inner end of the head is provided with a flange 25 bearing against rib 20. At the forward side of the rib there is a collar 21 which is secured to the screw so that the screw can not move longitudinally.

The cutter I8 is recessed at 28, and the rear wall of this recess is provided with a screw threaded opening 29 which receives the screw 24. It will now be obvious that rotation of the screw will cause the front end of the cutter I8 to move in or out of the slot in the head. One

face of the cutter I8 forms, as at 30, a, continua-` tion of theface I3 of the head. Meeting the face 30 at an acute angle at the forward end of the cutter is a face 3| which in all positions of the cutter is parallel to the face II of the head. Extending rearwardly from the rear end of the face 3l is a face 32 which forms an obtuse angle with face 3i and with the rear end of face 3.2 merging into a curved face 33. Thus, clearance is provided at the rear end of the chisel edge of the cutter.

In order to move the head and the cutter I8 forwardly, this head is mounted on a suitable mechanism including a hydraulic ram 34 which is here shown only fragmentarily since I have disclosed in copending applications, such as Serial Number 545,435, iiled July 18, 1944, the use of such a ram for moving a wedgingcutter head forwardly.

In Fig. l is shown the normal operational position of this apparatus wherein there is no tendency for the face lll of the head to move away from or into the long wall of the coal seam I2. In other words the tendency with. the arrangement of Fig. l is one in which the thrust on the iront end of the cutter is such as to maintain equilibrium so far as regards any tendency of the cutting edge of the cutter to move inwardly or outwardly.

In the event that the head tends to cut too deeply into the coal the cutter I8 is withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. 3, or such other position as will overcome this tendency, by turning screw 24. On the other hand. if the head tends togswing away from the face of the seam i2 the cutter is moved into some such position as shown in Fig. 4. In the position shown in Fig. 3 it will be observed that the thrust on the front end of the cutter will tend to move face I I of the head away from wall I2 and thus counteract the digging-in tendency, while in Fig. 4 the thrust on the cutter will tend to swing the head into the wall.

I claim:

1. In a, long wall mining machine having a wedge shaped head provided with a wall-engaging side face and a. wedging face inclined to said side face, a cutter tip mounted on said inclined face, and means to adjust the tip along said inclined face longitudinally thereof to position its iront end on either side of said side face.

2. In a long wall mining machine, a wedge shaped head having a wall-engaging side face and a face inclined to said side face and provided with a guide slot having a. vertical rib at its rear end, a cutter tip slidable in the guide slot, and a threaded stem screwed into and extending rear"\` wardly from said tip through said rib, and held against longitudinal movement in the rib, said tip having its forward edge bevelled to form a cutting edge movable by said stem to positions on either side of said side face.

3. In a long wall mining machine, a wedge shaped head movable in a straight line and having one side adapted to bear flat against the long wall of a mine drift with its other side extending at an acute angle rearwardly from the first-mentioned side, a slot formed in the lastmentioned side and extending rearwardly from the front end thereof a cutter tip slidably mounted in said slot for adjustment longitudinally thereof and having its front end provided with sides normally disposed in the planes of said sides of the head, and means to adjust said cutter longitudinally oi said slot so that said side of the cutter in the plane of said one side oi the head may be moved out of said plane and into a position on either side thereof, whereby to keep said head moving parallel to said long wall.

JOHN BRIDIE MAVOR. 

